


To Earn Forgiveness

by dragonwings948



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Episode: s06e07 A Good Man Goes to War, F/M, Flirting, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Episode: s06e07 A Good Man Goes to War, Romance, Stormcage Containment Facility
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 04:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17676128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: After the events of A Good Man Goes to War, the Doctor visits River Song in Stormcage, angry at himself and asking how he can earn her forgiveness.





	To Earn Forgiveness

**Author's Note:**

> My friend and I were talking about 11 and River a couple weeks ago and I got feels, so this is the result. I wrote another 11xRiver fic down on paper too, but I'm not sure if that one will make it on here or not because it had issues. 
> 
> Anyway, for now, enjoy this!

            The sound that River Song loved more than anything in the universe snuck into her dreams.

            She didn’t realise that it was real until she opened her eyes and saw the TARDIS materialising in her cell, just a foot away from her bed. Her heart leapt and she sat up quickly, reaching her hands up into her hair. Really, of all the times to show up, it had to be when she was in a prison uniform and her hair was a frizzy mess.

            The police box announced its presence with the boom of the cloister bell, and just a moment later the door creaked open. The Doctor took one measured step out of the TARDIS, shoulders slumped in weariness, and his eyes shone with relief as he met her gaze. “River,” he sighed, like her name was a lifeline.

            River could sense just what he needed and rushed forward to wrap him in an embrace. The Doctor’s arms crushed her so tightly against him that she could barely breathe and he buried his face in her neck, letting out a long sigh.

            “Hello, Sweetie,” she said softly. She shifted a hand to stroke his hair with the gentlest of touches.

            Eventually his arms released her and he cupped her face with his hands. “Melody Pond,” he whispered, looking into her eyes.

            River shivered at the sound of her real name.

            The Doctor placed a lingering kiss on her forehead, his fingers trembling against her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.” He touched his forehead to hers and squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s all my fault. Everything, your whole life, being separated from your parents…it’s all my fault.” His hands left her face and clenched into fists at his sides.

            To say that the onslaught of emotion caught River off guard was an understatement. She had never seen him quite like this; he always stayed so closed off. However, from the looks of it, he had just come from Demon’s Run.

            _Of course,_ she realised, piecing it together. _He’s been looking for me. The younger me._

River took his fists in her hands and held them until they relaxed. “Shhh.” She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. “It’s all right, my love. I’m here. I’m okay.”

            “All right?” His voice shook with barely controlled anger. “River, you’re in prison. You were kidnapped from your parents by a lunatic.” The Doctor sighed deeply and finally opened his eyes, tears shining in them. “How can you even stand to look at me? I ruined your life.”

            He looked so torn to pieces that River felt tears coming on herself. She pulled him into another hug, which he didn’t return. River spoke softly into his ear. “I wouldn’t be who I am today without the part you’ve had in my life. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

“Amy and Rory,” he muttered.

            “They still love you, and they know that ultimately, this isn’t your fault.” She held him at arm’s length, but he hung his head, not meeting her eyes. “I know what I said at Demon’s Run, and I meant it. But you didn’t make the choice to kidnap an innocent woman and take her child from her; Kovarian did.”

            The Doctor shook his head. “You _were_ right at Demon’s Run. I became too big, too powerful.” He huffed a sarcastic chuckle. “Maybe the time lords were right. Maybe I do meddle too much.”

            “Of course you do.”

            The Doctor looked up at her, eyebrows raised.

            “That’s why you’re the Doctor, the one who meddles in time, but holds goodness above everything else. I wouldn’t exist without your meddling; neither would several other lifeforms, planets, and solar systems.”

            “This isn’t about anyone else,” he countered. “This is about you, and Amy and Rory.” He looked into her eyes, pleading. “I have to make it right, River. I have to find you and bring you home to them.”

            River sighed, knowing that it would never be. “Do what you need to for yourself, to feel like you’ve made it up to Amy and Rory, but you don’t need to earn forgiveness from me.”

            “But I want to make it right.” He swallowed hard. “That’s why I came, River. What _can_ I do to earn forgiveness?”

            River could see that he wasn’t going to forgive himself unless he did something for her. “I’ll tell you exactly what you can do, Doctor.” She stepped into his personal space and smiled as she broke through his wall of self-loathing. His eyes widened with nervousness, but River continued on like she didn’t notice. “You can take me away from here.”

            “Your wish is my command, River Song.” He started to dart back towards the TARDIS, but River grabbed his arm.

            “I wasn’t done yet.”

            He started to say something in reply, but River tugged him forward by his lapels and kissed him. He stood stock still for a moment, shocked, no doubt, while River insistently looped her arms around his neck, waiting for his reaction. Any moment now…

            One of the Doctor’s hands rested on her waist, and his lips returned gentle pressure to hers. River kept the kiss rather chaste, not wanting to scare him away when he was in this sort of state.

            The Doctor pulled back first and blinked at her. “Any better than the first time?” he asked.

            Ah, this was only his second kiss with her. That explained it. “A bit.” She grinned and stroked his cheek. “Not to worry, there will be plenty of time to practice.”

            His mouth almost hit the floor and his cheeks turned a light shade of red.

            River was satisfied that she had broken him out of his melancholy stupor and smiled at him; not only because of her success, but because his boyish shyness.

            River raised an eyebrow when the Doctor continued to stare.

            “You did promise to take me somewhere.”

            “Yes,” the Doctor mumbled absentmindedly, then, more confidently, “Yes!” He strode past her and walked into the TARDIS, leaving the door open. River smiled, took one last glance around her cell, and entered a universe of possibilities.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're waiting on the update for The Test of Time...sorry! XD It'll be up within a week hopefully; I forgot to warn y'all that I'm a hardcore Kingdom Hearts fan and the new game just came out so I've been playing that instead of writing. Oops.


End file.
